S H E N A N D O A H VA L L E Y A C A D E M Y
HAPPENINGS december 2016
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High-Caliber Academics Prepare Students for Future
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uality college preparatory academics is a core objective at Shenandoah Valley Academy (SVA). High school level classes, in addition to Honors, AP and College Dual Credit courses, prepare students for college rigor and jump-start students earning college credits. “SVA faculty role-model and encourage students to pursue excellence in- and outside of the classroom,” says principal Don Short. “Ninety-four percent of our teachers have a master’s degree or higher level of education.” Government and history teacher Gabrielle Griffin (’86) likes to get students outside of the classroom to witness court proceedings, political rallies or to walk in the footsteps of soldiers on a battlefield. Her experiential learning methods challenge students to “push a higher level of thinking, apply and process and analyze and think critically—[to] make a real connection.” These skills are the take-away which they will be able to apply throughout their education and careers,” says Griffin. In November she organized a school-wide election, as she does every presidential cycle, with student surrogates representing party ideology. She conducts mock trials in government class and leads a history tour of New England and New York each spring. Tom McNeilus (’72), one of the highest-ranked math and physics teachers in Virginia, is known for his interactive teaching methods which get students actively engaged in learning. To best prepare students for college and careers
Ron Perkin, MD, and teaching assistant, Jin Moon, lecture Anatomy and Physiology students.
Students relish the experiential learning and fun of Gabrielle Griffin’s U.S. History Tour of New England and New York.
through experiences which will produce disciples of Jesus, it is imperative to ensure students are processing the knowledge to reach their full potential and achieve academically in the health sciences. With this in mind, the science department and curriculum has undergone a restructuring and review, with several new faculty members, including three graduates of Loma Linda University Medical School. New science department chair Ron Perkin, professor emeritus of East Carolina State University, is passionate about teaching Anatomy and Physiology and believes if students study the human body for themselves, they will be convicted of a Creator God. He says, “My purpose is to help students learn that they can love and serve God and still do science.” Cardiothoracic surgeon John Anderson team teaches with Perkin. Biology teacher Erica Franklin comes to SVA from Walla Walla University, where she pursued her graduate studies. Franklin is also passionate about biology and is often seen leading her classes on outdoor explorations to collect specimens. Pediatrician Kelli Fluharty Hanon (’88) has returned to teach chemistry in the same science department where she worked as a student. Hanon shares, “God is leading on our campus, and the new science program is one of the ways His blessings are evident.”
Happenings is published in the Visitor by Shenandoah Valley Academy n 234 West Lee Highway, New Market, VA 22844 Phone: (540) 740-3161 n shenandoahvalleyacademy.org n Principal, Donald Short n Editor, Janel Haas Ware
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